Rick's little scheme
by iGeek
Summary: Yes... I have to make sure that my darling little sister doesn't end up with that vagabond Kai... I jus have to make sure she falls for someone else once Kai is gone, that should be simple enough right?
1. Chapter 1

**And now, to ensure that I do not get bitched at by anyone I will now begin the disclaimers that I'm sure all of us have read over a thousand times in various fanfictions.**

**I do not own harvest moon, any of the games belonging to the series, any characters belonging to each game, including the characters that will be appearing in this fanfiction. **

**Ugh, honestly it's a pain to have to say it every time, but what can you do?**

**Anyway I will quit while I'm ahead and start the fic before I start ranting, so without further ado, enjoy**

Damn that… that… that… !!!

Rick, as usual, was having trouble to find just the right word to describe Kai. He could not think of a word that would fully express his absolute loathing of the man, without being prophane, and without making himself seem foolish or immature in the process. So, he opted for the alternative, and kicked the counter in frustration. Unfortunately he used more force than he had intended, and the result was him hopping around the room on one leg, muttering curses under his breath, and in doing so doing two of the things he had hoped to avoid doing.

Eventually he calmed down slightly and sat down again, though he was still fuming.

"Who does that man think he is? Every summer it's the same. That man comes into town, and wit a single wink Popuri is fawning over him. How could m innocent little sister fall for a pirate like him?!... All right, so he probably isn't a pirate, but I mean… Just LOOK at him! That bandana, the tan skin, the striped shirt, always staying near the ocean. All he needs is a parrot on his shoulder and it would be perfect! Tch! And to think, I actually used to love summer, but now my blood boils at the mere thought of Sum… of Su… of that six-letter word. Grrr, Popuri just doesn't see it, she doesn't see what a big mistake she's making by dating a guy like him, and as her older brother, it is my duty to make sure that she makes the right choices in life… I just have to find a way to get her to fall for someone else, and forget all about Kai… But who…………."

As fate would have it, the door opened just as Rick was pondering that very question.

"Hey Rick! Why so down!"

And at that moment, Rick was half convinced that the harvest had sent him the answer to his prayers.

'_Of course, why didn't I think of this before!'_

Rick looked up from the counter and began sizing up the person.

'_Yes, not bad looking, not allot of girls would turn down someone like him…_

_He has an honest income, and his profits aren't bad either…_

_Half the town likes him…_

_He keeps chickens…_

_He and Popuri have gotten along well since he came here…_

_And, I think he likes her already…'_

Rick had unknowingly been staring at his latest customer with great intensity, and the farmer was beginning to show signs of discomfort

"Erm… I just needed some chicken feed, but if this is a bad time I can come back later…"

The farmer turned back to the door, his blue backpack now facing Rick. He reached out for the doorknob with a gloved hand, but Rick grabbed him tightly by the shoulder.

"Oh no. No no no no no, Jack, it's not a bad time at all. In fact you're just the man I wanted to see! Come sit down, can I get you anything to drink?"

He said, as he forced Mineral Towns newest resident into a chair.

"Uh… waters fine I guess…"

Jack was starting to get a little concerned

"Hey Rick, are you sure you're okay? Maybe I should go get the doctor."

"Oh no Jack, I'm fine. You see, there's something I need your help with."

Rick smiled reassuringly at his friend as he pored him a glass of water. On the outside he was smiling, but inside his grin bordered on malicious.

'_Enjoy this last Summer while you can Kai, because the next time you come here, Popuri will have forgotten all about you. I'll make sure of it personally' _

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**Mwa ha ha ha ha ha ha !!! So, what do you think? I'll continue, but only if I think enough people liked it. Yes, I am holding this fanfic hostage! Mwa ha ha ha ha ha**


	2. Chapter 2

**Bla blah blah, I do not own any of the harvest moon games, blah blah blah, or any of the characters appearing in this fanfic, blah blah blah, the usual. Okay, moving on. Thank you to any one who is bothering to read this chapter d-(^_^) ******** that's supposed to be a thumbs up face**

"So, um, there's something you wanted to ask me about?" Jack sipped hesitantly at his glass of water. Rick was behaving rather abnormally, and it was starting to worry him.

"Hm? Oh yes, yes there is." Rick briefly snapped out of his mental plotting session and returned his gaze to the farmer sitting opposite of him.

"Well, you see. I was just wondering… How do you feel about my sister?"

Jack's answer took the form of the farmer spewing out the water he was currently in the process of swallowing, most of which was now covering Rick's face. Rick, however, did not seem to mind, and merely wiped it off.

"Uh, about Popuri? That's kind of sudden don't you think? Um, let me see…"

Rick noted with satisfaction that his friend was blushing.

'_Yes, this could work quite nicely'_

"Well, she's very nice and cheerful. She seems to get along very well with the rest of the town, and she's been helping me with my chickens every so often. She was a big help when my chicken coop collapsed last winter. I was really upset when my chickens Tory and ms. White died, so she helped me allot with that… She's been really nice to me ever since I first arrived here… And, I might be wrong here, but I think we used to play together when we were kids"

Rick raised his eyebrows at that last fact. "Really?"

Jack gave an embarrassed nod. "Yeah, I guess I haven't told you that story have I? Well, back when I was a kid, I used to live in the city. Actually, I was living there with my parents until I moved here. Well, one summer my parents took me to the country on vacation. I got lost, and eventually I ended up at the farm. The owner back then was very nice to me, and he called my parents. Then he offered to let us stay there at his farm during our vacation. I remember playing with a girl about my age back then, and I'm not entirely sure, but I think it might have been Popuri.

Rick scratched his head for a few seconds, searching his brain for any memory of this. Then it came to him. "You know, I think I remember that. And if memory serves, you were terrified of coming onto our ranch at first." Rick chuckled to himself a little, then gave Jack a questioning look. "Why was that anyway?"

Jack's face turned an even brighter shade of red, and he began to stare at the table. " W, well that's because… I remember that the first time I stepped onto this farm, a chicken started chasing me… I'm not sure if Popuri remembers, but one time she found me cowering behind a fence. At first she couldn't understand how on earth I could be afraid of chickens, and when I told her she just laughed. Then she took me into one of the chicken coops. I was terrified at first, but the way she was beaming from ear to ear as she ran around the coop just made it look so fun. And, after a week or so, I stopped being afraid of chickens. That's about when Popuri started trying to 'convert' me to the 'Poultry faith"

Jack smiled as he looked up at Rick. The two held each other's gaze for a few seconds, then, in perfect unison, they both burst into laughter.

"Yes, I can totally see my little sister doing something like that" Rick said between bouts of laughter. "And come to think of it, I think I remember the chicken you were talking about. We called her lady grey, and she was the meanest chicken you would ever see. She somehow got the thought into her head that she was a guard dog. I actually think I heard her trying to bark at the mailman once or twice"

The two burst into even louder bouts of laughter at this latest revelation. Rick noticed with great satisfaction that any trace of the original tension that the conversation had held had disappeared long ago, and he was slowly becoming more and more convinced that his plan had a chance at succeeding. Jack himself was becoming more and more at ease, and he began to tell Rick more and more about the memories he had of the time he spent with Popuri during that summer years ago.

Jack told him about the times they had gone swimming together, how they had competed to see who can climb higher up a tree, how they had caught fireflies together, chased after chickens, watered the old mans crops, gone exploring in the caves. And then, Rick did a tiny fist pump to himself under the table when Jack told him about how he and Popuri had kissed at the top of Mothers hill the day before Jack left to return home, and then, as if Rick couldn't be any more sure about his plan, Jack confessed that he had had a crush on Popuri ever since then…

"Hey Rick, why did you ask me about Popuri anyway?" Jack asked as handed Rick the money for his order of birdseed.

"Oh, no reason. I just noticed that you act a little odd whenever Popuri's around, and I was just curios. Anyway, I'll have the birdseed delivered to your farm by the end of the day. And I'm sorry for taking up so much of your time. I'm sure that you have allot of other things that you need to get done" Rick smiled apologetically at his friend as he checked over the order one last time.

"Naw, it's alright. I just need to stop by the mine before Zack comes by to pick up my shipments. Well see you later Rick"

And with that, jack left the store, leaving Rick to plan to himself. He was now sure that he had no problems as far as Jack was concerned, and he was now even slightly less worried about getting Popuri to fall for him. He just hoped that Kai wouldn't do anything to mess up his plan to badly in the week or so that was still left of the summer. Out of respect for his sisters feeling, he vowed that he would do his best not to interfere with her and Kai for the remainder of summer. But as soon as autumn came around, it would be time for him to put his little scheme into action.

**And there we are with chapter two. I hope you enjoyed reading it, and even if you didn't I still enjoyed writing it. I hadn't intended to update so soon, but my mom and I are on a road trip looking at colleges, and I'm board as hell when we're driving. Plus, we just got through visiting the university of Arkansas, and after seeing the Poultry Science building; I just had to right chapter two. Well, please review. Please?**


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